From the Blog

TASTY TUESDAY – BEEF STEW & COCONUT DUMPLINGS

Winter has well and truly wrapped us up in her frosty blanket, and this little lady and I have been hibernating by the fire while my body mends and her little body grows. Since Elsie was born, we’ve been blessed with warm, homemade meals given to us by family and friends (oh, how much more tasty is a meal when you don’t have to cook it yourself?!), but the time has come for me to start cooking again!

Last night I made a hearty stew with coconut flour dumplings. It was simply delish and perfect fare to swallow on a cold winter’s night. I made this recipe up. I should’ve written down the measurements as I was cooking last night (hmmm, not going to happen when I have limited time before the baby wakes for ANOTHER feed – I tell you, she’s just like her father!), so hopefully the guestimate measurements below work out ok, lol.

Pat beef dry and season salt and pepper. In a large saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat. Brown meat in 3 batches, turning with tongs, about 5-8 minutes per batch, adding one tablespoon more butter for each batch. Transfer meat to a large plate and set aside.

Add onions, garlic and apple cider vinegar; cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to scrape brown bits from bottom of pan, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook a few minutes more. Add beef with juices back to pan and sprinkle with tapioca flour; stir with wooden spoon until flour is dissolved, 1-2 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, beef broth, water, bay leaf and thyme; stir with wooden spoon to loosen any brown bits from bottom of pan and bring to a boil. Cover pot with lid and simmer on low heat for 1 hour.

Add carrots, root vegetables and peas. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes more, or until vegetables are cooked and meat is very tender. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

In the meantime, make the dumplings. Whisk together the butter, eggs and salt. Sieve the coconut flour and baking power together. Gradually add the flour mix to the eggs, stirring as you go to ensure a smooth batter. When all the flour is added, you should have a thick paste-like mix.

Drop balls of dumplings into the stew. Cover and cook for a further 15 minutes or until dumplings are cooked through.